the manhattan transfer: mecca for moderns

album rating: ★★★★☆

Genre

Vocal jazz and pop. More eclectic than its predecessor, "Mecca for Moderns" moves between pop, swing, Latin, jazz fusion, and vocalese, with each member of the quartet more assertively involved in the album's creative direction.

Release

Released on June 3, 1981, by Atlantic Records. It was the group's sixth studio album.

Production

Produced and mixed by Jay Graydon. Arrangements were shared among Graydon, David Foster, Gene Puerling, Milcho Leviev, Alan Paul, and Janis Siegel. Basic tracks were recorded at Dawnbreaker Studios, San Fernando, California; overdubs and mixing at Garden Rake Studios, Studio City, California; mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios, Los Angeles.

Reception

Mecca for Moderns was the highest-charting album of the group's career to that point, peaking at number 22 on the Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. "The Boy from New York City" became their first top-ten pop hit, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and winning the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1982. "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," arranged by Gene Puerling, won the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices the same year. The two awards made the Manhattan Transfer the first group in history to win Grammy Awards in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year.

The Manhattan Transfer

The Manhattan Transfer were an American vocal quartet formed in New York City on October 1, 1972, by Tim Hauser (1941–2014), with Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, and Laurel Massé — later replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. Signed to Atlantic Records in 1974, their career was defined by a refusal to be confined to a single genre, spanning jazz, pop, swing, R&B, and vocalese. Their two consecutive Grammy-winning years — 1981 for "Birdland" and 1982 for Mecca for Moderns — established them as one of the most musically versatile and critically honoured vocal groups in American music history. Their 1985 album Vocalese received twelve Grammy nominations, the most ever for a single album at the time. Over their career they accumulated ten Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. The group dissolved following Tim Hauser's death in 2014, with a formal farewell in 2023.

This text was generated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence.

boy from new york city

the manhattan transfer: extensions

 

album rating: ★★★★☆

Genre

Vocal jazz, jazz fusion, and pop. Extensions marked a pivotal turn in the group's history, embracing jazz fusion and the technique of vocalese — in which lyrics are set to pre-existing instrumental jazz solos — with the guidance of vocalese pioneer Jon Hendricks, who wrote the words for "Birdland." 

Release

Released on October 31, 1979, by Atlantic Records. It was the group's fifth studio album and the first to feature Cheryl Bentyne, who had replaced Laurel Massé following a serious car accident in early 1979. The album was dedicated to jazz vocalist Eddie Jefferson (1919–1979), the originator of vocalese, who had been murdered shortly before its release.

Production

Produced by Jay Graydon. Arrangements were shared among Graydon, David Foster, Greg Mathieson, Michael Omartian, Phil Mattson, Gene Puerling, and Clare Fischer. Session musicians included the core of what would become Toto. Basic tracks were recorded at Dawnbreaker Studios, San Fernando, California; overdubs and mixing at Garden Rake Studios, Studio City, California; mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios, Hollywood. Costume design was by Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Reception

The album reached number 55 on the Billboard Top LP's chart. "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" reached number 30 on the Hot 100 and number 12 on the Disco chart. "Birdland" — the group's cover of Joe Zawinul's Weather Report composition, with lyrics by Jon Hendricks and vocal arrangement by Janis Siegel — became the most played jazz record of 1980 and won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices, both in 1981.

The Manhattan Transfer

The Manhattan Transfer were an American vocal group formed in New York City on October 1, 1972, by founder Tim Hauser (1941–2014), who assembled the classic lineup with Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, and Laurel Massé — later replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. The group signed to Atlantic Records in 1974 and built a unique career straddling jazz, pop, swing, R&B, and vocalese. In 1981 they became the first group in history to win Grammy Awards in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year. Their 1985 album Vocalese received twelve Grammy nominations — the most ever for a single album at the time. Over their career they accumulated ten Grammy Awards from twenty nominations and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. 

This text was generated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence.

birdland

twilight zone/twilight tone

off-album track

chanson d'amour

from the album coming out